Beverage can cooler

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the principals of the present invention, a frozen tube is adapted to securely surround the can, the frozen tube utilizing high heat capacity/thermal mass to wick heat from the beverage in the can. Contained within the frozen tube, a plurality of fins are provided thus acting as a heatsink. The presence of the fins act as a heatsink by increasing convective, conductive, and radiative heat dissipation if used in the absence of the frozen tube and conductive heat dissipation if used with the frozen tube.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to beverage cooling.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND STATE OF THE ART

Many beverages, including beer, soft drinks, wines, and the like are notonly packaged in cans but can also be consumed directly from the can.Such beverage cans are typically cooled by placing them in arefrigerator prior to consumption; several devices exist to maintain thecool temperature of the beverage once it is removed from therefrigerator for consumption, the most common being an insulator thatsurrounds the can during consumption.

Variously referred to a beer cozy, beer jacket or drink huggie, thekoozie can be rigid or soft and flexible. It is believed that theoriginal version of the koozie was introduced in Australia in the 1970s.In 1980, a woman named Bonnie McGough filed a patent application for an“insulated drink cozy” with insulating material sandwiched by outerfabric, which application resulted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,015 issued 6Oct. 1981.

In 2013, a team at the University of Washington put together anexperiment to discover if koozies actually work. The study attractedgrant funding from the National Center for Atmospheric Research and theNational Science Foundation. The study concluded that koozies help toprevent canned drinks from warming up by preventing condensation fromforming on the can. Dale Durran and Dargan Frierson, “Condensation,Atmospheric Motion, and Cold Beer”, 66 Physics Today 4, 74 (2013)(Available at https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.1958?journalCode=pto (accessed 11 Feb. 2020)).

While koozies help maintain the cold temperature after the beverage hasbeen cooled, however, it is often desirable to cool a room temperaturecan and drink its contents on short notice, without having to waitseveral hours for refrigeration to cool the beverage. Perhaps theinitial attempt to address this was the addition of fluids into thewalls of koozies, which fluids can be frozen prior to use. A recentvariant of this is the Chill Puck available from Chill Promotions, 3525Oleander Avenue Alameda, Calif. 94502. The Chill Puck relies uponconduction via a plastic encapsulated gel that clips on to the bottom ofa can. While perhaps helping maintain a cold temperature, the Chill Pucksimply does not provide for sufficient heat transfer to achieve thequick cooling of room temperature beverages.

Thus, there exists a need to conveniently quickly cool down a beveragein a can from room temperature to a desirable drinking temperature.Currently there are many cumbersome methods to accomplish this task. Themost common method simply involves placing the can(s) is a containerfilled with ice/ice water, such as an ice bucket. This method is oftensupplemented by rotation the can in the ice/ice water bath. There arealso expensive commercial appliances that need to chill several cups ofwater before they are ready to cool a beverage. There are also otherapparatus which require the beverage to be transferred to another vesseland a subset of those that require an additional transfer to anotherglass. All these separate vessels require cleaning.

For example, beyond ice buckets there also exist so-called highperformance ice packs, which rely on conduction via half ice blocksshaped to partially surround cans. While inexpensive and capable ofkeeping beverages cool on the go—with a concave shape walls designed tocradle the can—these ice packs exhibit poor heat transfer properties asa layer of insulating plastic separate the frozen ice from the can andthus achieve little in cooling room temperature cans.

A crude attempt to cool down a beverage in a can utilizes a common drillwith a specialized drill bit, such as the Spin Chill, which utilizesconduction and forced internal convection by spinning the can in a tubof ice. The Spin Chill was designed by ApexTek Labs 710 South MainStreet, Gainesville Fla. 32601. This approach works, but requires use ofa drill and a bucket or other source of ice/ice water.

One such commercially available attempt is the InnoChiller availablefrom InnoChiller ApS, Havnegade 37 E 1. tv., 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark. TheInnoChiller uses forced convection to create the “wind chill” effect,claiming to speed up the energy exchange by creating a high velocity airspeed inside a compartment that holds the cans from a fan installed inthe back end of the unit when in the freezer. This unit, however, isquite expensive, requires frequent charging to power the fan, and runsthe risk of over chilling or freezing the beverage when in the freezer.

Another commercially available attempt is the Cooper Cooler RapidBeverage & Wine Chiller available from RCS, Inc., 47 Overocker Road,Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12603. The Cooper Cooler Rapid Beverage & WineChiller utilizes conduction with chilled water and spinning agitation.This unit, however, likewise is quite expensive, requires a constantpower, and requires an initial set-up time to “power up”.

Still other apparatuses require the beverage to be transferred toanother vessel and a subset of those that require an additional transferto another glass. All these separate vessels require cleaning.

Thus, what would be beneficial would be an inexpensive, convenient, andeconomical way of quickly cooling room temperature beverages in can to acold consumption temperature while avoiding the risk of over chilling orfreezing the beverage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary of the Invention is provided to introduce a selection ofconcepts in a simplified form that are further described below in theDetailed Description section. This Summary of the Invention is notintended to identify key features or essential features of the claimedsubject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determiningthe scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter.

A beverage can cooler in accordance with the principals of the presentinvention presents an inexpensive, convenient, and economical way ofquickly cooling room temperature beverages in can to a cold consumptiontemperature while avoiding the risk of over chilling or freezing thebeverage. In accordance with the principals of the present invention, afrozen tube is adapted to securely surround the can, the frozen tubeutilizing high heat capacity/thermal mass to wick heat from the beveragein the can. Contained within the frozen tube, a plurality of fins act asa heatsink; in an alternative aspect in accordance with the principlesof the present invention, the heat sink could be utilized alone, in theabsence of the frozen tube. The presence of the fins act as a heatsinkby increasing convective, conductive, and radiative heat dissipation ifused without the ice and conductive heat dissipation if used with theice. Thus, the fins reduce need for high thermal heat capacity ofprevious designs.

The heatsink should be in close proximal connection with the can. In oneaspect in accordance with the principals of the present invention, theheatsink can comprise a split design and define a hinge, allowing theheatsink to expand around the can and achieve sufficient contactpressure/surface area for condition between the two elements conductingthermal transfer.

In one aspect in accordance with the principals of the presentinvention, the heatsink can be placed in a mold, the mold filled withwater, and the water and heatsink frozen. The conductive heatsink helpsdissipate the heat into the high thermal ice mass. The ice also allowsthe device to function in a non-subzero environment and can eliminatethe risk of freezing the beverage.

This Summary of the Invention introduces concepts in a simplified formthat are further described below in the Detailed Description. ThisSummary of the Invention is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying Drawings illustrate several embodiments and, togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principles of the presentinvention according to the example embodiments. It will be appreciatedby one skilled in the art that the particular arrangements illustratedin and described with respect to the Drawings are merely exemplary andare not to be considered as limiting of the scope or spirit of thepresent invention or the claims herein in any way.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a frozen tube adapted to securely surround a can,according to an example embodiment in accordance with the principals ofthe present invention.

FIG. 1A is a diagram of a top view of a frozen tube adapted to securelysurround a can, according to an example embodiment in accordance withthe principals of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional side view of the frozen tube of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a heatsink to be contained within thefrozen tube of FIG. 1, according to an example embodiment in accordancewith the principals of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the heatsink of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is likewise a top view of a heatsink to be contained within thefrozen tube of FIG. 1, according to an additional example embodiment inaccordance with the principals of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a close-up view of the heatsink of FIG. 4 showing a channelslot according to an example embodiment in accordance with theprincipals of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a close-up view of the heatsink of FIG. 4 showing a livinghinge according to an example embodiment in accordance with theprincipals of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an isomeric view of the heatsink of FIGS. 4-6.

FIG. 8 is perspective view of a heatsink according to an additionalexample embodiment in accordance with the principals of the presentinvention placed in a mold according to an example embodiment inaccordance with the principals of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is perspective view of the heatsink mold of FIG. 8 with theheatsink removed.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the heatsink and mold of FIG. 9with water/ice included.

FIG. 11 is an exploded cut-away view of ice formed around/within theheatsink and within the mold of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is perspective cut-away view with the mold removed forillustrative purposes.

FIG. 13 is a cross section of the heatsink and mold of FIG. 9 with a canin place.

FIG. 14 is a graph of a simulated average temperature of a beverageutilizing a beverage can cooler in accordance with the principals of thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 is a thermal analysis image of the temperature of the beverageof the simulation of FIG. 14 at 300 seconds.

FIG. 16 is a thermal analysis image of the temperature of the beverageof the simulation of FIG. 14 at 15 seconds.

As noted above, in the above reference Drawings, the present inventionis illustrated by way of example, not limitation, and modifications maybe made to the elements illustrated therein, as would be apparent to aperson of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope orspirit of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Introduction

As previously described, there is a need to conveniently and quicklycool down a beverage from room temperature to a desirable drinkingtemperature. Currently there are many cumbersome methods to accomplishthis task. Some require filling a large vessel with ice and water andothers are a bit more elaborate and involve rotating a beverage in coldwater: a popular do-it-yourself method attaches a beverage to a drilland spins the beverage can in salted ice water, which has evolved intospecialized drill bits designed for this purpose. There are alsoexpensive commercial appliances that need to chill several cups ofliquid before they are ready to cool a beverage. Other apparatus requirethe beverage to be transferred to another vessel and a subset of thosethat require an additional transfer to another glass. All these separatevessels require cleaning.

In accordance with the principals of the present invention, a beveragecan cooler is provided that provides a low cost, convenient, andeconomical way of quickly cooling room temperature beverages in a can toa cold consumption temperature while avoiding the risk of over chillingor freezing the beverage. In accordance with the principals of thepresent invention, a frozen tube is adapted to securely surround thecan, the frozen tube utilizing high heat capacity/thermal mass to wickheat from the beverage in the can. Contained within the frozen tube, aplurality of fins act as a heatsink; in an alternative aspect inaccordance with the principles of the present invention, the heat sinkcould be utilized alone, in the absence of the frozen tube. The presenceof the fins act as a heatsink by increasing convective, conductive, andradiative heat dissipation if used without the ice and conductive heatdissipation if used with the ice. Thus, the fins reduce need for highthermal heat capacity of previous designs.

The heatsink should be in close proximal connection with the can. In anaspect in accordance with the principals of the present invention, theheatsink can comprise a split design and define a hinge, allowing theheatsink to expand around the can and achieve sufficient contactpressure/surface area for condition between the two elements conductingthermal transfer. The split design can be closed-biased with the hingearound the outer diameter of the beverage can. A preferred placement ofthe hinge can be about 180 degrees from a slot (directly across thediameter), but the hinge could be contained at other suboptimallocations. The heatsink should be comprised on a material having goodheat transfer capabilities, such as a conductive material like aluminum,copper, silver, gold, tungsten, diamond, cubic boron arsenide, graphite,and the like. The hinge can be a living hinge that can be extruded withthe heatsink as part of a one piece manufacturing process, with theliving hinge providing the closed bias.

Thus, the high thermal conductive heatsink is able to expand and clamparound the diameter of the beverage can. It is helpful to maintainsurface contact with the walls of the beverage can and allowing theheatsink to expand and contract helps accommodate manufacturingtolerances both for the heatsink and slight variation in beverage candiameters. Also this clamping pressure lowers the thermal resistancebetween the two surfaces transferring thermal energy. A beverage cancooler in accordance with the principals of the present invention avoidsuse of a heatsink manufactured to a tight tolerance which would not beas effective in adjusting to different can tolerances and cost more tomanufacture.

One of the main challenges of the heatsink design of the presentinvention is that to achieve best performance a large temperaturedifferential is desired. In ideal conditions, the environment that theheatsink is in is below the freezing point of liquids (0 degrees C.). Inthis environment, the device will chill a room temperature beverage inminutes; however, there is a risk of over chilling and freezing thebeverage. An additional modification in accordance with the principalsof the present invention prevents over chilling and freezing thebeverage by adding an additional amount of ice around the heatsink andremoving it from the subzero environment. In this embodiment, theheatsink would be put in an insulating vessel, water would be addedaround the heatsink, and then frozen to form an ice block around theheatsink. When there is a desire to cool a beverage, the device would beremoved from the subzero environment and put into a refrigerator or roomtemperature environment. The ice would continue to wick heat away fromthe heatsink, and the heatsink would wick heat away from the beverageuntil beverage was removed or the systems reached thermal equilibriumabove the freezing point of the beverage. This reduces material cost,increases total thermal heat capacity, and eliminates the risk offreezing. This also uses conduction and a much quicker way to thermaltransfer heat (vs convection or forced convection)

In one aspect in accordance with the principals of the presentinvention, the heatsink can be placed in a mold, filled with water, andfrozen to prepare the frozen tube adapted to securely surround the canfor use. Ice is one of the most practical materials to use because auser can fill tap water around the heatsink at room temperature and putit in the freezer to create ice around the surface area of the heatsink.Ice/water is also a low cost material and ready available. Ice has veryhigh heat capacity and is inexpensive, but has low thermal conductivity;the heatsink increases the thermal transfer of the contents of thebeverage to a cold mass of high heat capacity. The colder this thermalmass is the faster the thermal transfer takes place. The conductiveheatsink helps dissipate the heat into the high thermal ice mass. Theice also allows the device to function in a non-subzero environment andcan eliminate the risk of freezing the beverage. This cold mass can bestored in a freezer so that it is ready on demand.

By adding fin geometry, there is greater convection and radiationthermal transfer to the freezer. Utilizing a beverage can cooler inaccordance with the principals of the present invention with the finsalone would work well if the beverage is chilled in a cold environment;whereas by utilizing a beverage can cooler in accordance with theprincipals of the present invention with ice surrounding the heatsink,chilling in a room temperature or refrigerator environment reduces therisk of over chilling and freezing the beverage. The thermal heatcapacity of the cold mass could be calibrated to only withdraw enoughthermal energy so as to chill and not freeze the beverage. For theheatsink to be expandable with low force in this embodiment, it ispreferred that the ice is also split in two halves—or thin at the pointof the hinge so the ice can be easily broken—with one block on each sideof the hinged or living hinged element.

Initial Considerations

Generally, one or more different embodiments may be described in thepresent application. Further, for one or more of the embodimentsdescribed herein, numerous alternative arrangements may be described; itshould be appreciated that these are presented for illustrative purposesonly and are not limiting of the embodiments contained herein or theclaims presented herein in any way. One or more of the arrangements maybe widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as may be readily apparentfrom the disclosure. In general, arrangements are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice one ormore of the embodiments, and it should be appreciated that otherarrangements may be utilized and that structural, logical, software,electrical and other changes may be made without departing from thescope or spirit of the present invention. Particular features of one ormore of the embodiments described herein may be described with referenceto one or more particular embodiments or figures that form a part of thepresent invention, and in which are shown, by way of illustration,specific arrangements of one or more of the aspects. It should beappreciated, however, that such features are not limited to usage in theone or more particular embodiments or figures with reference to whichthey are described. The present disclosure is neither a literaldescription of all arrangements of one or more of the embodiments nor alisting of features of one or more of the embodiments that must bepresent in all arrangements.

Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the titleof this patent application are for convenience only and are not to betaken as limiting the present invention in any way.

Devices and parts that are connected to or in communication with eachother need not be in continuous connection or communication with eachother, unless expressly specified otherwise. In addition, devices andparts that are connected to or in communication with each other maycommunicate directly or indirectly through one or more connection orcommunication means or intermediaries, logical or physical.

A description of an aspect with several components in connection orcommunication with each other does not imply that all such componentsare required. To the contrary, a variety of optional components may bedescribed to illustrate a wide variety of possible embodiments and inorder to more fully illustrate one or more embodiments. Similarly,although process steps, method steps or the like may be described in asequential order, such processes and methods may generally be configuredto work in alternate orders, unless specifically stated to the contrary.In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described inthis patent application does not, in and of itself, indicate arequirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps ofdescribed processes may be performed in any order practical. Further,some steps may be performed simultaneously despite being described orimplied as occurring non-simultaneously (e.g., because one step isdescribed after the other step). Moreover, the illustration of a processby its depiction in a drawing does not imply that the illustratedprocess is exclusive of other variations and modifications thereto, doesnot imply that the illustrated process or any of its steps are necessaryto one or more of the embodiments, and does not imply that theillustrated process is preferred. Also, steps are generally describedonce per aspect, but this does not mean they must occur once, or thatthey may only occur once each time a process, or method is carried outor executed. Some steps may be omitted in some embodiments or someoccurrences, or some steps may be executed more than once in a givenaspect or occurrence.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readilyapparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of asingle device or article. Similarly, where more than one device orarticle is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a singledevice or article may be used in place of the more than one device orarticle.

The functionality or the features of a device may be alternativelyembodied by one or more other devices that are not explicitly describedas having such functionality or features. Thus, other embodiments neednot include the device itself.

Techniques and mechanisms described or referenced herein will sometimesbe described in singular form for clarity. However, it should beappreciated that particular embodiments may include multiple iterationsof a technique or multiple instantiations of a mechanism unless notedotherwise. Process descriptions or blocks in figures should beunderstood as representing modules, segments, or steps in the process.Alternate implementations are included within the scope or spirit ofvarious embodiments in which, for example, functions may be executed outof order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those having ordinary skill in theart.

Conceptual Architecture

In more detail and referring to FIG. 1, a diagram of a frozen tube 10adapted to securely surround a can is seen, according to an exampleembodiment in accordance with the principals of the present invention:FIG. 1A shows a diagram of a top view looking downward on the frozentube 10; FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional side view of the frozen tube10. The frozen tube 10 is adapted to securely surround the can and useshigh heat capacity/thermal mass to wick heat from the beverage.

Contained within the frozen tube 10 a plurality of fins 14 act as aheatsink 12. In an alternative aspect in accordance with the principlesof the present invention, the heat sink 12 can be utilized alone, in theabsence of the frozen tube. The presence of the fins act as a heatsinkby increasing convective, conductive, and radiative heat dissipation ifused in the absence of the frozen tube and conductive heat dissipationif used with the frozen tube. Thus, the fins 14 reduce need for highthermal heat capacity. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a heatsink 12 adaptedto be contained within the frozen tube 10 of FIG. 1 is seen, inaccording to an example embodiment in accordance with the principals ofthe present invention. The heatsink 12 should be in close proximalconnection with the can.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an additional heatsink 12 adapted to becontained within the frozen tube 10 of FIG. 1, according to anadditional example embodiment in accordance with the principals of thepresent invention. In this aspect in accordance with the principals ofthe present invention, the heatsink 12 can comprise a split designcomprising two halves 16, 18 and define a hinge 21, allowing theheatsink 12 to expand around the can and achieve sufficient contactpressure/surface area for condition between the two elements conductingthermal transfer.

The hinge 21 can comprise a living hinge that can be extruded with theheatsink 12 as part of a one piece manufacturing process with theheatsink 12. The living hinge 21 can provide the closed bias. FIG. 5 isa close-up view of the heatsink 12 of FIG. 4 shown defining a channelslot 23 which, with the hinge 21 define the split design comprising twohalves 16, 18. FIG. 6 is a close-up view of the heatsink of FIG. 4showing the living hinge 21 which, with the channel slot 23 define thesplit design comprising two halves 16, 18. FIG. 7 is an isomeric view ofthe heatsink of FIGS. 4-6.

Referring to FIG. 8, a heatsink 12 according to an additional exampleembodiment in accordance with the principals of the present invention isseen placed in a heatsink mold 27 according to an example embodiment inaccordance with the principals of the present invention detailed below.In addition to defining a channel slot 23 and a hinge 21, the heatsink12 of FIG. 8 includes curved fins 14. The curved fins 14 are oriented ascurving outwardly away from the channel slot 23 at one periphery of theheatsink 12 and inwardly towards the hinge 21 at another periphery ofthe heatsink 12. As detailed below with respect to FIGS. 14-16, analysisdemonstrates that adding curves to the fins 14 increases the length ofcontact between the fin 14 and the ice while reducing the overallrequired diameter such that for the same surface area contact, theoverall device can be smaller. The spirals of the curved fins 14 run intwo different directions so that there can be two fins that hit eachother to act as a hard stop so reduce stress and yield on the hinge. Thecurved fins 14 also provide a visual to assist in recognizing theparting line if the user opens the device to insert or remove thebeverage can.

As previously described, in one aspect in accordance with the principalsof the present invention, the heatsink 12 can be placed in a mold 27,filled with water, and frozen to prepare the frozen tube 10 adapted tosecurely surround the can for use. Ice has very high heat capacity andis inexpensive, but has low thermal conductivity. The conductiveheatsink 12 helps dissipate the heat into the high thermal ice mass. Theice also allows the device to function in a non-subzero environment andcan eliminate the risk of freezing the beverage.

FIG. 9 is perspective view of the mold 27 for the heatsink 12 with theheatsink removed. In the most ideal embodiment, the mold can becomprised of a suitable flexible material such as for example a siliconeor thermoplastic elastomers. The mold 27 should provide a sufficientseal with the bottom of the heatsink to keep the water from entering theinside of the heatsink to position the ice around the outer peripterybut not inwardly of the fins 14. Thus, in one aspect in accordance withthe principles of the present invention the bottom floor 30 of the mold27 defines an upwardly extending ridge 32 that acts as a seal with theinterior of the heatsink 12. In an alternative aspect in accordance withthe principles of the present invention, if a better seal is desired thebottom floor 30 can define a plurality of fin receptors into which thefins 14 of the heatsink 12 fit.

As previously described, the heatsink 12 can define a channel slot 23which, in conjunction with the hinge 21 define the split designcomprising two halves 16, 18, allowing the heatsink 12 to expand aroundthe can and achieve sufficient contact pressure/surface area forcondition between the two elements conducting thermal transfer. Tofacilitate the split design comprising two halves 16, 18, the mold 27can define a channel slot indentation 36 and a hinge indentation 38. Thechannel slot indentation 36 and the hinge indentation 38 further definedfin slots 41 into which the fins 14 of the heatsink 12 adjacent to thechannel slot 23 and the hinge 21 fit. This can be seen in FIG. 8.

In addition to defining a channel slot 23 and a hinge 21, the heatsink12 of FIG. 9 includes curved fins 14. The curved fins 14 are oriented ascurving outwardly away from the channel slot 23 at one periphery of theheatsink 12 and inwardly towards the hinge 21 at another periphery ofthe heatsink 12. As with the placement of the fin receptors 32 on thebottom floor 30 of the mold 27, placement of the fins 14 of the heatsink12 adjacent to the channel slot 23 and the hinge 21 into the fin slots41 of the channel slot indentation 36 and the hinge indentation 38positions the ice round the outer periptery but not inwardly of the fins14.

This can be seen in FIG. 10, which is a cross section of the heatsink ofFIG. 9 placed in the heatsink mold of FIG. 8 with water or ice 43 addedbetween the mold 27 and the heatsink 12. It is also seen that thechannel slot indentation 36 and fin slots 41 into which the fins 14 ofthe heatsink 12 adjacent to the channel slot 23 fit have kept ice fromforming at the slot indentation 36; likewise, the hinge indentation 38and fin slots 41 into which the fins 14 of the heatsink 12 adjacent tothe hinge 21 fit have kept ice from forming at the hinge 21, thusforming the ice block 43 further defining the split design comprisingtwo halves 16, 18. This can best be seen in FIG. 11, which shows anexploded cut-away view of ice 43 formed around/within the heatsink withthe mold removed.

FIG. 12 is perspective, cut-away view with the mold removed and holdinga can 45 with a beverage being cooled while FIG. 13 is a cross sectionof the heatsink and mold of FIG. 9 with a can in place. The crosssectional view of FIG. 13 shows not only the block of ice 43 formedbetween the heatsink 12 and the mold 27 but also shows the ice 43′formed in-between the fins 14.

To calculate the thermal and fluid interactions in a simulatedenvironment of a beverage can cooler in accordance with the principalsof the present invention, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) andComputational Thermal Dynamics (CFD) analysis software was utilized.Heat transfer analysis was conducted between elements from initialstarting temperature conditions to show the resulting temperature overtime as the beverage cools and the ice melts.

To start, the geometry of a beverage can cooler in accordance with theprincipals of the present invention was created in 3-D Computer AidedDrawing (CAD) software and imported into CFD software. The materialproperties were applied with the necessary conductivity and heatcapacity. Then, boundary conditions and temperature were assigned. Theunderlying equations of state were solved. These equations of state arerelated to the conductive heat transfer and natural convection in thefluid caused by thermal gradient and currents. Post processing toolssuch as planes and color plots were overlaid onto the model and the meshto communicate the results. “Mesh” refers to the wireframe structurethat is applied to the CAD model in the CFD analysis. The mesh is aserious of nodes and connection points. The simulation is run on eachnode to determine the temperature and fluid flow. The tighter the mesh,the more accurate the analysis.

To optimize the design of a beverage can cooler in accordance with theprincipals of the present invention, the fins are of a proper thicknessand length to quickly transfer heat to the ice. The thickness of thebase of the fins was chosen to properly extract heat from the outersurface of the can. The thickness of the fins was chosen to optimize theamount of heat being extracted from the base, and also optimize theamount of surface area with the ice. The gap between the fins (thethickness of the ice between the fins) was sized such that the ice goesthrough its phase change when the optimal temperature of the can hasbeen reached. The profile consists of a specifically designed taper andcurvature. To promote heat transfer due to conduction within thematerial of the device, the taper of the fins was designed to minimizethe material while still keeping the fin thickness wide at the base. Thecurvature of the fins optimizes the surface area while minimizing theoverall diameter of the device.

The volume of ice and thus the diameter of the mold were sized such thatthe ice goes through its phase change when the optimal temperature ofthe beverage has been reached. To account for variations in beveragestarting temperature and freezer temperature/settings, the user cancontrol the volume of water poured in to the device. For example, if thecan is stored in a hot environment, then more water could be poured;contra wise, if the freezer temperature is colder, less water could bepoured. The mold could have visual indicators (fill lines) correspondingto the appropriate temperature differentials between the can and thefreezer.

Referring to FIG. 14, a graph of the CFD simulated average temperatureof the beverage over time is seen: temperature is set forth on thevertical axis between 40 degrees and 80 degrees Fahrenheit; time is setforth on the horizontal axis between 0 and 300 seconds. It is seen thatutilizing a beverage can cooler in accordance with the principals of thepresent invention reduces the average temperature from 75 degreesFahrenheit to 45 degrees Fahrenheit in 300 seconds, or five minutes. Thetemperature profile of the beverage, can, and beverage can cooler of thepresent invention at 300 seconds can be seen depicted in the CFDsoftware in FIG. 15; this is contrasted with the temperature profile ofthe beverage, can, and beverage can cooler of the present invention at15 seconds, when the temperature of the beverage is approximately 70degrees Fahrenheit, seen in FIG. 16.

While a beverage can cooler in accordance with the principals of thepresent invention has been described with specific embodiments, otheralternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. For example, in the alternative embodiment where theheat sink is utilized alone, a fan could be added to provide forcedconvection. As an additional example, an electro-mechanical means couldbe added to induce agitation such as for example by spinning the can orrotating, stopping, and rotating the whole device in the oppositedirections. Accordingly, it will be intended to include all suchalternatives, modifications and variations set forth within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

1. A beverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beveragecan comprising: a cold tube adapted to securely surround the beveragecan, the cold tube defining a channel slot which enables the cold tubeto expand around the can so as to accommodate variations in candiameter; and contained within the cold tube, a plurality of finsadapted to increase conductive heat dissipation, thus acting as aheatsink; wherein the cold tube expanding around the beverage canfacilitates achieving improved contact pressure and increasing surfacearea between the cold tube and the beverage can to increase thermaltransfer from the contents of the beverage can.
 2. The beverage cancooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beverage can of claim 1further wherein the cold tube further defines a hinge which with thechannel slot comprises a split design to facilitate expanding around thecan so as to accommodate variations in can diameter, therebyfacilitating achieving improved contact pressure and increasing surfacearea between the cold tube and the beverage can to increase thermaltransfer from the contents of the beverage can.
 3. The beverage cancooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beverage can of claim 2further wherein the split design is biased to facilitate achievingimproved contact pressure and increasing surface area between the coldtube and the beverage can to increase thermal transfer from the contentsof the beverage can.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The beverage can cooler tofacilitate cooling contents of the beverage can of claim 3 furtherwherein the split design is biased by an elastic sleeve.
 6. The beveragecan cooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beverage can of claim 5further wherein the split design is biased by an insulated elasticsleeve.
 7. (canceled)
 8. The beverage can cooler to facilitate coolingcontents of the beverage can of claim 1 further wherein the plurality offins are curved.
 9. The beverage can cooler to facilitate coolingcontents of the beverage can of claim 1 further wherein the plurality offins are tapered.
 10. The beverage can cooler to facilitate coolingcontents of the beverage can of claim 1 further wherein the heatsink iscomprised of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum,copper, silver, gold, tungsten, diamond, cubic boron arsenide, graphite,steel, and combinations thereof.
 11. The beverage can cooler tofacilitate cooling contents of the beverage can of claim 1 furtherwherein the cold tube comprises working mass placed around the heatsink.12. The beverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents of thebeverage can of claim 11 further wherein the working mass comprises iceformed by freezing water placed around the heatsink in a mold.
 13. Thebeverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beverage canof claim 10 further wherein the working mass comprises antifreeze placedaround the heatsink in a tube.
 14. A mold adapted to be used with aheatsink, the mold comprising: a bottom floor defining a seal with aninterior of the heatsink; and a channel slot indentation defined on aninterior wall of the mold, the channel slot indentation adopted tocooperate with a channel slot of the heatsink, the channel slotindentation further defining fin slots adopted to cooperate with fins ofthe heatsink.
 15. The mold of claim 14 further wherein the bottom floordefines an upwardly extending ridge that acts as a seal with theinterior of the heatsink.
 16. The mold of claim 14 further wherein thebottom floor defines a plurality of fin receptors into which fins of aheatsink fit.
 17. The mold of claim 14 further wherein the side wall avisual fill indicator.
 18. The mold of claim 14 further wherein the moldis comprised of a material selected from the group consisting ofsilicone, thermoplastic elastomers, and combinations thereof.
 19. Abeverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beverage cancomprising: a plurality of fins adapted to increase conductive heatdissipation, thus acting as a heatsink; an integral tube adapted tocontain the heatsink, the integral tube defining a channel slot whichenables the heatsink to expand around the can so as to accommodatevariations in can diameter, the integral tube being capped to contain aworking mass; wherein the channel slot expanding around the beverage canfacilitates achieving improved contact pressure and increasing surfacearea between the integral tube and the beverage can to increase thermaltransfer from the contents of the beverage can.
 20. The beverage cancooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beverage can of claim 19further wherein the heatsink further defines a hinge which with thechannel slot comprises a split design to facilitate expanding around thecan so as to accommodate variations in can diameter, thereby tofacilitating achieving improved contact pressure and increasing surfacearea between the cold tube and the beverage can to increase thermaltransfer from the contents of the beverage can.
 21. The beverage cancooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beverage can of claim 20further wherein the split design is biased with an elastic sleeve. 22.The beverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beveragecan of claim 19 further wherein the plurality of fins are curved. 23.The beverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents of the beveragecan of claim 19 further wherein the heatsink and integral tube arecomprised of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum,copper, silver, gold, tungsten, diamond, cubic boron arsenide, graphite,steel, and combinations thereof.
 24. A beverage can cooler to facilitatecooling contents of the beverage can comprising: a plurality of finsdefining a channel slot adapted to facilitate expanding around the canso as to accommodate variations in can diameter, thereby achievingimproved contact pressure and increasing surface area between theplurality of fins and the can, the plurality of fins increasingconvective, conductive, and radiative heat dissipation, thus acting as aheatsink, the heatsink comprised of a material having good heat transfercapabilities.
 25. The beverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contentsof the beverage can of claim 24 further wherein the heatsink furtherdefines a hinge which with the channel slot comprises a split design tofacilitate expanding around the can so as to accommodate variations incan diameter, thereby achieving improved contact pressure and increasingsurface area between the plurality of fins and the beverage can toincrease thermal transfer from the contents of the beverage can. 26.(canceled)
 27. The beverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents ofthe beverage can of claim 24 further wherein the plurality of fins arecurved.
 28. The beverage can cooler to facilitate cooling contents ofthe beverage can of claim 24 further wherein the heat sink is containedwithin an integral tube adapted to securely surround the beverage can.